Three local schools which together make up the Fulham Federation are set to become academies.

Fulham Cross Girls School, Fulham Boys College and the Fulham Enterprise Studio were given permission by the Department for Education to form the new collective of Fulham College Academy Trust.

This is another innovative step for the trust, whose studio school became the first school of its kind in inner London.

They will join the majority of secondary schools in the borough in becoming academies, free schools or foundation schools, which are outside of the control of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.

The news comes as the Fulham schools celebrate being in the top 4% nationally for the progress their students achieve between leaving primary school and sitting their GCSEs.

Bernie Peploe, executive principal of Fulham College Academy Trust, says: "We have already shown that treating every student according to their individual strengths and needs within the context of the national curriculum pays dividends.

"By taking control through academy status we have greater independence and control of funding and curriculum flexibility. It means we can safeguard our trademark approach to ensure that every student who joins us has the best opportunities to progress through education. It also gives us more potential to expand our offering to a wider range of students."

The three schools first came together in September last year under the umbrella organisation Fulham College. The girls' and boys' schools offer a traditional classroom-based education for students aged 11-16, while Fulham Enterprise Studio is described as a new concept. It is very much a mainstream school, suited to students of all abilities who prefer a different and more "hands-on" learning style, and is open to girls and boys aged 14-19.

Academy schools receive their funding direct from the Department for Education under a funding agreement that is independent of the local authority. With this independence comes total control of their curriculum and staffing.

H&F Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Helen Binmore, says: " This is great news for the borough and shows that our schools have welcomed this new approach to education, as they recognise the benefits it can bring.

"They are happy to develop new and effective ways of teaching the borough’s children and take advantage of the greater freedoms for schools when it comes to funding and the curriculum."